A 12 Year Old Responds To Aiyana Jones’ Death

You ask any four or five year old what they want to be when they get older and half of them will tell you they want to be a police officer. It seems as though we are born to serve and protect. But then what happens to us to make us want to decide who we will protect and how well? It is simply disgusting to think that the men that swore an oath to serve and protect would give that up in a reckless rush to judgment, all for a TV show?. A seven year old girl was shot, maybe even burned and killed while the police were looking for a few minutes of fame. The police simply violated the seven year old’s human rights.

I use to ask myself what made young boys run from the police? What made adults get afraid when a police drove up next to them? The first thing you hear is, the police are next to us or the police are behind us. But, it all is starting to make sense to me now. Police are human and like most humans, they make mistakes and they take their personal views on life to work. If you are a racist man and you have a job as a police officer, lawyer or doctor, I ask you, will you protect and serve everyone the same? The answer is no! I have studied Huey Newton for two years now and I understand better than ever why he armed the Black Panthers. Not to gun down people, but he knew our community had to protect itself. His bold and sometimes radical ideas should be looked at in times like this. A seven year old child will never have the chance to grow up to serve or protect our community. I don’t know what you are waiting for but the time is now.

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When I heard of yet another tragedy, I wanted to take to the streets and cry out for justice. I wanted to cry out for real change. Dr. King, Malcolm X, and Huey Newton are all gone. They’ve been gone for forty years now, so stop waiting on the next black leader to just pop up. The next black leader should be the head of your house, the bus driver, the insurance man, the CPA or whoever. Our next great leader is not one, but a nation of people that realizes the importance of life and knows how to protect and nourishes it.

What will we do for this family? What will we do for this child’s mother, father and grandparents? I hope to turn on the TV and hear about the public out cry. I want to hear what the consequences for these actions will be. No one is above the law. They are just there to enforce it. And when they can’t, we as a community will demand for every irresponsible police officer’s job and not just him being suspended but charged. Then and only then will police officers serve and protect us all regardless of their personal views and lack of judgment.

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Aiyana Jones at her sixth birthday party.

The mother and father of Aiyana Jones gather for a candle light vigil for seven-year-old daughter Aiyana Jones.